A Reply to a Student

Yesterday Olga requested some practice instructions. She said she gave up everything in order to come here and rely on me – her career, her status, her financial security and so on. So what I’ll say in reply is, ok, you gave up these things to come and train under my guidance, now on top of these things you should give up yourself. If you can give yourself up, it will have all been worthwhile, you will have achieved what you came here for. So, Olga, give up yourself, the thought of ‘me’ ‘me’ ‘me’, let it go.
This doesn’t only apply to Olga, a number of you have given up a lot to be here and there are noticeable changes in you corresponding to the level of your sacrifice, in many cases.
The changes in Olga, for example, are quite clear; to my eyes at least. That’s not to say she is now a real dharma person or practitioner, that’s a long way off. But I have noticed a big change in her way of thinking since she came here; in terms of her character, her way of going about things, things she can accept now that she wouldn’t have been able to accept previously.
This is something you have to understand, the more you can accept the more at ease you will be in your mind. The more you take issue with things, the more resistance you hold, with thoughts such as, ‘It shouldn’t be like this’ regarding external situations, the more uptight and troubled you will be.
Acceptance will make you more peaceful and easy going. It’s difficult to say that you will immediately be transformed into a ball of joy, but you will become happier, more easy going and less busy minded.
So when I say give yourself up I am not joking! You said that in order to rely on the lama you gave up everything, so now give up yourself. Wouldn’t that be best? To let go of ‘me’ ‘me’ ‘me’ is the result we seek when relying on a lama.
[A transcription taken from a section of a recent teaching given by Drupon Khen Rinpoche. The name of the particular student being replied to has been changed.]